I can't help thinking that if you want something different from the normal HB you could do worse than installing a pair of vintage style HBs with coil taps. It should be easy enough to do with push/pull volume knobs.
The Seymour Duncan site has a good range of pickups including sound samples to let you choose the one you like and a full set of wiring diagrams.
Having said that it's quite a lot of money to throw at a guitar which won't be worth much when its finished, so make sure you actually like it before committing (personally I hate playing LPs - they're too heavy and the necks are too bulky).

I generally wash hands before playing, but rarely wipe the bass afterwards. I sweat a lot, but it doesn't seem to affect the strings much. If I look at the bass and see dust on it I might give it a quick wipe but otherwise I clean the bass when I change strings but a set will normally last me 12 - 18 months (rounds).
I find maple more resistant to dirt build up than rosewood.

^this.
As for playing, I once played a gig using only the index and middle fingers of my left hand after being knocked off my motorbike - I wasn't quite as crap as I thought I'd be and had to ice the hand between sets.

My regular rehearsal room is open and taking bookings - I even got a call from them asking if we still intended to rehearse as per our booking for last Thursday. It baffles me how they can open, except that if you are a professional band, you could argue that rehearsal is work, and provided you enforce a 2m rule its OK.
They have a limited number of rooms open.

I worked abroad for a time and used to come home regularly (8 weeks there, two here). On one trip home I bought a bass as I was playing in a band there with a borrowed bass. When I went back to work I declared an export on the bass and claimed the VAT back. I used to leave it there when I was on leave. For various reasons but mainly through my own choice, the work assignment finished about 8 months later which was earlier than I'd expected and I had to bring the bass back with me. I carried it through and no one asked any questions, - why would they? So I didn't bother declaring it.
They didn't ask about my watch either which was bought in country - no duty payable and considerably cheaper than buying in the UK (IIRC the UK price was around £1700). I didn't consider it an import, it was simply a watch that I owned that I'd bought when living abroad. Had I wanted to make money I could have bought one every trip and left it here when I went back.
I also used to bring back my complete tobacco allowance every trip, even though I couldn't have claimed it was for use in the 2 weeks I was here. It lasted years when I got back.

^ this, choose an airline who's policy is that you can take the instrument as carry on. I've flown a couple of times with it as carry on, and a couple where it was checked and, although I don't normally suffer from anxiety, I was absolutely terrified before takeoff and when waiting at the baggage carousel to collect it.

For purchases outside the EU duty and VAT are paid only if the purchase value exceeds £390. For items which exceed this, up to £690 is charged at 2.5% duty, - if you bring it in with you. and I think if its second hand VAT is not applicable
So for example if you were buying a used US Jazz worth say £800 in the UK for the equivalent of £500 the duty would be 2.5% of £500, no VAT and the total cost would be £512.50 and you'd be getting a good deal.
On purchases over £630 the rate of duty varies. The other issue of course is is you are bringing it in yourself and its clearly second hand how would the bloke at customs know?

This is too true. I'm fortunate that I have easy access to London, so Denmark Street is viable for purchase of anything that's not bulky. There's a music store quite close which has a massive range of FX pedals but a, frankly, disappointing range of instruments and amps. It survives through on line sales of the pedals. The only other local shop shut down last year and to be honest it wasn't really worth visiting.
Other than that I can jump in the car and get to Wembley Guitar Centre or Andertons. Its only stores of this size that really have a decent range of instruments. I have always resisted online purchase of instruments as I really want to try the actual instrument before I pay for it.

What do you have against mexican? Are you Donald Trump?
Seriously, there isn't an issue with mexican made, and just remember that the MIJ range were started as a low cost version and ended up being, for the most part, better than the US made.
Fender have, for years, been opening low cost factories and every time they open one the price point for the previous low cost centre is increased. The "Standard" used to be a US instrument, now its not. Having said that low cost/high cost does not translate to low quality/high quality.